Final Round - Race Report

The final event of the 2025/26 Gulf Radical Cup got underway over the weekend at the Dubai Autodrome.

Despite the regional issues most drivers were ready to take to the track for the important final event. Both main Championship and National Class Championship were up for grabs. 

However, the weather had other plans. While testing on Thursday, the second day of testing and Qualifying sessions on Friday had to be cancelled due to heavy rain and parts of the track being flooded. This meant a busy two day schedule was put together to get the season finished.

Given the postponement of Round 6, Qualifying and two races still had to be run in addition to the full Round 7 schedule. 

Series leader Harry Hannam was able to put his GulfSport Racing SR3 XXR on Sprint race pole with a convincing 1:40.258, with his series rival Alex Novichkov in second, and Vasily Vladykin, both run by Continental Racing on third.

Following on just 5 minutes later was Enduro Qualifying, and again Hannam was able to take the pole, from Bukhantsov in second and Novichkov in third.

Race 1 got underway, this was actually Sprint Race 2 of Round 6. It was Hannam that got away well to take the lead, but making a great start also was Khazzoum who was up to third. As the cars raced off down the back straight in to turn ten the pack was close, with various drivers jostling for position. Unfortunately Khazzoum spun, and was collected by Geshev. It was a fairly hard impact and left the cars stranded, brining out the safety car.

After a couple laps we were back racing. Hannam and Novichkov got away well, which left Vladykin and Bukhantsov fighting for third. At times it got a little too close between the team mates leaving the stewards to hand down a penalty to Vladykin after the race.

Hannam was consistently fast and was able to build a decent 8 second gap ahead of Novichkov over the line. 

Next up, the missed Enduro race from Round 6. This was going to be interesting as Hannam was on the Pole but had to serve 55 seconds in the pitstop, given his third place last time out at Yas. It was Geshev who took that victory on his return to the GRC and he would have to serve the full 65 seconds. But as the race drew closer it became clear that his car would not be ready from the previous race incident which caused Alim to not be able to take the start.

So, again as the race got going it was Hannam in the lead, working his hardest to build a gap over Bukhantsov in second, hopefully enough to counter the pit stop penalty - Bukhantsov had none!

But as the pitstop window opened, Hannam got tangled when passing Chachava who had just come out from his pit stop. Forcing Hannam wide, it meant that Bukhantsov closed in, and got great drive down the back straight making an incredible pass for the lead in to turn 10. Both drivers then pitted, with shocked faces from all to see Bukhantsov leading into the pitlane. 

Both cars got away well from the pit lane, but of course for Hannam 10 seconds after Bukhantsov. With only a handful of laps to go the race was on.

Further down the pack Khazzoum and Alfonsi were having a good battle. Also coming in at the same time Alfonsi lead in to the pits, but with a slower get away, Khazzoum shot past (well only just, as the cars went side by side down the pit lane, with Alfonsi having to yield right at the exit).

Hannam was making progress on Bukhantsov, at a rate of about 0.7 seconds a lap. But it just wasn't enough. Bukhantsov took the win 1.593 seconds ahead of Hannam in second and Vladykin in third. Feyzulin took another crucial win in the National class in his effort to secure that title this season. 

However, in post race scrutineering Hannam weighed in just under 1kg below the weight limit of car and driver. This meant instant disqualification from the race! Not good for the championship campaign.

So that was Round 6 done. The next day would see all three races of the final round 7, and double points. All still to play for…!

The times from Saturdays qually sessions were used to form the grid for Sprint Race 1 and 2.

Both races started in a similar fashion with Vladykin making a great start, leaving Hannam to chase and try to retake the lead. Vladykin is a very experienced (Silver FIA Grade) GT3 driver, so racing was close, but Hannam managed to pass to take the lead and win for both races. Also Feyzulin improving on his so far perfect weekend.

So going into the final race of the season both Hannam and Feyzulin had almost done enough, but both needed to finish ahead of their rivals to claim the title.

Again Vladylin made a great start ahead of Hannam in the lead. Hannam spent the next couple of laps cautiously putting pressure on the lead car to hopefully force an error or find a way past - knowing he needed have a clean race to take the championship. On lap 4 he was able to pass, leaving vladykin to defend from Bukhantsov in third. Again the pairing where a little too close leaving Bukhantsov with a puncture and having to make an early pit stop.

Hannam made a clear pit stop and continued on in the lead. Feyzulin was also having a great race to take his class win.

Hannams closest rival for the title was Novichkov, he at the end finished third, behind Geshev in Second.

What an incredible way to end the season, 1 day of testing, 2 days of racing, 3 qualyfing sessions and 5 races, an impressive feat for the Drivers and Teams to contend.

Round 7 - Final Round Preview

As the 2025/26 Gulf Radical Cup season heads into its final phase, the championship heads back to the Dubai Autodrome National Circuit for Round 7—with both titles edging closer to decision, but still very much alive.

Six rounds in, the story of the season has been that of pace, pressure, and sometimes unpredictability.

Harry Hannam has been the benchmark throughout the campaign. From the opening round at Yas Marina, where he established himself as a title contender with fantastic overtaking and race wins, he has carried that form consistently across the season.

By mid-season, Hannam had turned consistency into control—dominating Round 4 with lights-to-flag victories and building a decisive advantage in the standings.

Round 5 further reinforced that authority, as he repeatedly converted strong starts into wins despite safety cars and interruptions closing the field behind him.

However, Round 6 at Dubai Autodrome introduced a new twist. A late engine issue forced Hannam to start from the back of the grid for all races, handing a rare opportunity to his rivals.

That opened the door for drivers like Alex Novichkov, who has been consistently in the mix—to capitalise, with Novichkov securing pole position in a tightly contested qualifying session, his pace has become a real threat to Hannam and the rest of the grid.

While Hannam still appears to have one hand on the overall title, Round 6 proved that momentum can shift quickly in this championship.

Behind the overall fight, the season has been defined by intense competition across both classes.

Novichkov, Geshev, Daremas, and Feyzulin to mention a few have traded podiums and pushed Hannam at every opportunity, often separated by tenths of a second. Across multiple rounds, incidents, safety cars, and great racing have kept all drivers honest the whole season.

In the National Class, the title fight remains wide open. As noted heading into Round 6, as many as four drivers were still in contention—reflecting just how competitive the midfield has become this year. That is Feyzulin on 372, Chachava on 334, Khazzoum on 312 and Daremas on 297. But with double points available for Round 7, and still 2 races of Round 6 to be run (postponed from last event), it’s very much there for the taking. 

Round 7 shifts to the tighter, more technical National layout—quite different from the high-speed GP and International circuits used earlier in the season.

This configuration typically rewards precision over outright pace, close lap times and increased overtaking opportunities.

The key question heading into Round 7 is simple: Can anyone halt Hannam’s march to the title?

If Round 6 showed anything, it’s that the field is ready to capitalise on any opportunity. With Novichkov’s qualifying speed and Geshev’s consistency, the fight at the front is not settled just yet.

Equally, the National Class battle could reach a turning point, with multiple drivers still mathematically in contention and every point now critical.

Round 6 - Race Report

Round 6 of the Gulf Radical Cup took place at the Dubai Autodrome.

Testing started early in the week, with four days available before the event kicked off, so all drivers were well prepared.

Harry Hannam seems to have control of the Overall title chase, but in the National Class, the title was still wide open to four drivers. 

However, at the end of the final practice session, disaster struck for Hannam, with an apparent engine issue. But with the Ramadan format having qualifying on the Friday after free practice, it did not give enough time for the engine to be changed. So Hannam would have to watch qualifying from the sidelines and take a back of the grid start for all races!

Qualifying sessions went ahead as planned, and it was Alex Novichkov on the pole, just 0.134s ahead of Alim Geshev, securing Pole Position for Sprint 2 and the Endurance race, a remarkable feat! 

The Sprint race was underway, and all eyes were on Harry Hannam, to see how quickly he could work his way to the front. But going into turn one, it was Novichkov, Geshev, and Vladykin all jostling for first place. As the pack raced down towards turn 10, Hannam had already taken five places, but Daremas collected with the back of Lowe gifting him two more spots.

Khazzoum was in the lead of the National class, but only to be contacted by Chachava, dropping him to the back. Soon after, Chachava was handed a lenient 10-second penalty to be added to his time.

Meanwhile, Hannam had cleared the fourth-place runner and was in hot pursuit of the leaders. Their pace was good, even while trading places. 

But as Hannam arrived on the back of Geshev, he ran wide out of turn 11, allowing Hannam through, then slipping past Vladykin into turn 12. Novichkov was still leading, but Hannam had the pace, and after another two laps, he took the chance to out-brake the lead car into turn 10. So, job done, last to first is possible.

As the 25-minute race came to a close, it was indeed Hannam in 1st, Novichkov in 2nd managing to stay close to Harry, and Vladykin in third. In the National Class, it was Amir Feyzulin with a strong performance to take the win, Klebanov in second, followed by Chachava in third.

Unfortunately, as the drivers were preparing to go to the grid for Sprint Race 2, the regional issues started to escalate, and the stewards of the meeting decided it would be best to postpone the rest of the event until the end of March at the deciding round 7.

Round 5 - Race Report

It’s not often that Britain’s biggest sportscar constructor, Radical Motorsport, has the opportunity to make a direct comparison of its highly developed Radical SR3 XXR production sports prototype with a Le Mans Prototype, the LMP3. This weekend, they were on the 5,282m Grand Prix circuit of the billion-dollar Yas Marina circuit!

This weekend, Round 5 of the UAE’s Gulf Radical Cup, one of Radical’s 14 endurance racing Cup series that run in four continents, was supporting the last round of the Asian Le Mans Series (ALMS) in Abu Dhabi. So we had LMP3s, LMP2s, and Radical SR3s testing, qualifying, and racing on the exact same circuit and under the same conditions.  

The comparison was absolutely fascinating and perhaps explains why many ambitious racers are using Radical Cup events to gain relevant experience prior to taking the path to Le Mans 24H (e.g. former Gulf Radical Cup Champion Alex Bukhantsov, who was driving the LMP3 of team ‘Inter Europol Competition’, with his team mate Jimmy Choo, also en ex GRC race winner).:

Radical SR3

Pole Lap Time: 1:56.192

Price: Euros 130k plus VAT (includes engine)

LMP3

Pole Lap Time: 1:51.450

Price: Euros 388k plus VAT (includes engine)

---

The weekend got off to a start with 5.5 hours of testing over Thursday and Friday.  A good grid of 16 cars saw the return of reigning champion Alim Geshev and last-minute entry of Lenny Ried and Lucas Fluza, both fast drivers currently racing single seaters and LMP3 in Europe and Asia.

As expected, Hannam showed pace in practice along with Geshev while he got to grips with his new SR3 XXR.

Saturday Morning at the end of the 20-minute sprint qualifying session, it was Hannam on the pole with a 1:56.962, with the pairing of Lucas and Lenny on P2 with a 1:57.381, and a great lap for Vasily Vladykin on a 1:57.765, only to have it removed owing to a technical infringement, promoting Geshev to 3rd.

Making his debut this weekend as Aussie Ty Menzies, taking part in his first ever race event.

Sprint Race 1 got underway in an orderly fashion with Hannam taking the lead from Geshev and Lucas Fluxa. As the race came to an end, Fluxa was right on the tailpipe of Geshev and in the dying laps made his move for second, which he kept to the flag.

Sprint Race 2 saw Lenny Ried on the pole, having just beaten Hannam by 0.3 of a second. But making a great start, Hannam took the lead and opened up a decent gap to Ried and the rest of the pack. But on lap 6, Ried suffered a technical problem with the car and pulled up on the exit of turn 1, thus bringing out the safety car. Allowing Novichkov to catch back up to the rear of Hannam. Vladykin, who had a pit lane start (owing to his DQ from Qualy), was doing well and was already up to 7th.

Safety car came in on lap 8 and again Hannam got the drop on Novichkov and Geshev. But on lap 10 safety car came out again for the stranded Klebanov on the exit of turn 9, closing the gaps back down and diminishing any advantages taken up.

However, at the re-start Hannam kept his lead to take the win.

Sunday got underway with the Enduro Qualifying and again Hannam topped the timesheets, but with an impressively close field this weekend it was going to be tough for him to overcome the 20-second pit stop penalty he was carrying from the last win a few weeks earlier. 

As the race got underway Hannam again took the lead, but an incident between Jahid Karim and Ibby Hadeed left both cars stranded in debris in the middle of the track at turn 12 entering the YAS Hotel section, bringing out the red flag. Both drivers were ok, but it took a little time to clear the cars off the track. 

As it happened in the first lap the whole grid was reset and a full re-start took place. Again Hannam got the holeshot and got to work building up the gap he needed to try and defend his winning streak. But on lap 9 Vladykin found himself stranded at turn 6, nose to the wall, and unable to move. Bringing out the safety car just ahead of the pit window opening, but a quick recovery by the marshal team saw the safety car come in the next lap. Hannam decided to pit straight away, but with the pairing of Fluxa/Ried and Geshev staying out.

As the pit window came to a close, the impact of the extra time in the pits for Hannam was clear to see, with him down in 11th, with Novichkov also down to 9 (carrying 15 seconds). The two of them set off working their way up through the field, moving at a similar pace. 

Geshev had pretty much sped off into the sunset, along with Fluxa/Ried, but there was a chance at 3rd. And on the last lap Hannam (who had passed Novichkov the lap before), ran side by side with Feyzulin into turn 6, snatching 3rd as they crossed the line. But a very convincing win for Geshev!

Next race takes place at the Dubai Autodrome at the end of February.

Round 4 - Race Report

After a long winter break, it was back to Yas Marina Circuit for Round 4 of the Gulf Radical Cup.

With the usual two days of testing, series leader Harry Hannam topped the timing sheets for most of the sessions. Alex Novichkov missed the first day of testing, to then have engine issues for most of Friday, but got out for the last session of the day, and posted the fastest time, with Daremas in 2nd just 0.4s behind.

Saturday would see Sprint Race Qualifying taking place in the morning. All cars rolled out with the objective of setting two of the fastest laps they can, each to set the grid starting position for both Sprint Races.

As the session developed, a fair few drivers were losing times due to track limit infringements, meaning time was of the essence to get extra laps in, but at 8 minutes to go, the red flag had come out. Car 44 of Volobuiev had stopped at Turn 5, and needed recovering. When the session re-started, drivers essentially had an out lap and two flying laps to post the best they could. Hannam came out on top with a new qualifying record of 1.56.357, second to Peri Daremas putting in a PB of 1.57.641, with Novichkov third on a 1.57.744.

Sprint Race 1 started as expected, Hannam made a great start with Daremas up behind him, as they went up the hill of turn 2 and 3. Daremas was close, looked down the inside into Turn 5, but to no avail. Hannam pulled a gap in the following laps and held that right to the end.

Meanwhile, Novichkov and Daremas were chasing one another all the way to the end. With Daremas defending his third place by 1.5 seconds at the end. Amir Feyzulin was at the head of the next pack, taking a well-earned fourth.

SPR 1 - 1st Hannam, 2nd Daremas & 3rd Novichkov (Open Class)

SPR 1 - 1st Daremas, 2nd Feyzulin & 3rd Khazzoum (National Class)

Sprint Race 2 got underway a few hours later, and again Hannam made a great start. But with drama behind. Novichkov, Feyzulin, and Khazzoum all went for the same gap, resulting in Feyzulin and Khazzoum spinning out of the race and bringing out the safety car. But with the cars stopping close to the track exit, racing got underway within a lap.

Hannam made a quick restart and was able to keep his lead to the finish line.

Making a comeback to the series was Ibby Hadeed. He was having a great race, running in third with constant pressure from Novichkov, but holding his nerve and crossing the line just 0.4 seconds between them.

SPR 2 - 1st Hannam, 2nd Daremas & 3rd Hadeed (Open Class)

SPR 2 - 1st Daremas, 2nd Hadeed & 3rd Shanly (National Class)

The following day was Enduro Qualifying, and the 45-minute enduro race. This time, just one lap was needed to set the grid for the main 45-minute race. The track was not as fast as in the previous day (owing to UAE F4 and Formula Regional laying down layers of Pirelli rubber earlier in the day), but Hannam still stuck a pole time of 1.57.291, ahead of Novichkov on a 1.58.353, closely followed by Daremas on a 1.58.372. But in a cruel turn; during a brief red flag in qualifying, the crew of Novichkov were caught working on his car while in the pit lane, this is against red flag rules, and he was given a three-place grid penalty, allowing Daremas to line up next to Hannam at the start. In fact, Novichkov was not alone as three other cars also made the same mistake. Meaning the enduro race would have a slightly muddled starting grid.

As the race got underway again, Hannam took the lead from Daremas, with Novichkov third. But for this race, there was of course the mandatory pit stop, with stationary time added for the top 5 finishers from the Enduro race at Round 2. That meant 20 seconds added to the standard 45 for Hannam, and 15 added for Daremas. While Novichkov DNF in Round 2, this meant he only had the standard 45 seconds. Was this his best chance to get ahead of Hannam and Daremas this weekend?

As the pitstop window opened, cars started to stream in. Novichkov was in first, with Hannam followed by Daremas. And as expected, once the dust had settled, Novichkov was leading, from Hannam, Hadeed (also without a pit penalty) and Daremas.

But with good pace, Hannam started to reel in Novichkov, as they went side by side into turn 6. Novichkov out braked himself and went straight on. So much so that the race director thought he gained an advantage, so a 5-second penalty was added. Nonetheless, it took a couple more laps for Hannam to catch back up and make his pass out of turn 5. In the meantime, Daremas and Hadeed were chasing hard, but disaster struck for Hadeed, and he appeared to peel into the pits with a misfiring engine. He jumped out of the car, ending his race!

It looked like it was all set at that point, but not quite. Out of nowhere, a message from Race Control flashed up on the screen - “16 Second Penalty for car 69 - short pitstop”. This meant that Daremas had somehow left his pit box too early, gaining him a time penalty. So he had to push hard to get a 16-second gap between him and the car behind him, Chachava. This he was able to do, keeping his third position!

So Hannam extends his lead in the series, but the fight for second between Novichkov, Feyzulin and Daremas hots up!

Enduro Race - 1st Hannam, 2nd Novichkov & 3rd Daremas (Open Class)

Enduro Race - 1st Daremas, 2nd Chachava & 3rd Khazzoum (National Class)

Round 3 - Race Report

Round 3 of the Gulf Radical Cup took place at the weekend at the Dubai Autodrome.

This round would be run using the GRC SuperPrix format. What this means is that the normal qualifying format is replaced with ‘superpole’. A real test for drivers to perform over just two laps. Sent out at 90-second intervals, drivers need to get up to speed on a single out lap and then push as hard as they can for two laps. No mistakes, as a deleted lap(s) could see you at the back of the grid. The race element also changes, with one race only, but 85 minutes in length with a tyre and fuel stop roughly halfway through.

So, starting the order for superpole was drawn out of a hat (well, actually an upside-down Parc Fermé cone), and first off was the pairing of Jahid Karim and Julien Darras of Dream Racing. For SuperPrix, you are able to add a second driver, and it was Darras who was in the car ready to set the pace, and he did, holding pole for most of the session with a 2.01.708. Next driver to get close to that was Amir Feyzulin, also of Dream Racing on a 2.02.343. But soon after, Alex Novichkov of Continental Racing pushed his way up to second with a 2.01.866, with the pairing of Vasily Vladykin and Michael Lyons less than 0.1 behind on a 2.01.972. Peri Daremas paid the ultimate price for running track limits, having both his laps deleted. However, his pace was good with a 2.02.371, but he would have to start at the back of the grid.

Drawing the last (and probably most desired spot) from the hat was Harry Hannam for GulfSport Racing. His first lap was a complete flyer on a 2.00.881, so that was it, the pole would go to Hannam, but he was not done, just one more lap! Jaws dropped as he crossed the finish line on a 2.00.219, a new qualifying lap record.

As the teams and drivers prepared for the long 85-minute race, it would be Hannam and Darras on the front row, with Novichkov and Vladykin behind. Pressure was on as the teams had strict pitstop rules to follow and they needed to get fuel in the car, tyres and drivers changed. This was controlled by a minimum of 4m30s in the pits. Timed from the moment they enter the pits to the moment they leave to back on track.

As the race got underway, it was Hannam who made a great start leading the pack out of turn one, with Novichkov right behind. Darras had a poor start and dropped back. By the end of the first lap, Hannam was holding his lead. Daremas, who had started last, was already up to 6th.

There were 35 minutes to run until the pit window would open, and most cars had settled into a bit of a rhythm. Unfortunately, the number 44 car of Volobuiev started to slow down on the main straight into turn 1. Momentarily, it looked like the car was going again, but again stopped at turn 9. This brought out the safety car, and over the next three laps, all drivers got a breather while the car was cleared out of the way.

As racing resumed, Hannam kept his lead, again using his pace to pull a small gap to the chasing Novichkov.

At 35 mins in, the pit window was open, and cars started to dive in. Drivers had to be out of the car while it was being refuelled; once that was done, tyres were changed, then drivers were strapped back in to get back to the race. All went pretty smoothly; however, the pairing of Vladykin and Lyons had been a little keen to get out of the pits and triggered the exit timing loop at 4m28 seconds.

This was 2 seconds under the minimum time. Unfortunately, this would mean a 17-second time penalty for them. A big shame as they were 3rd on the road, but now had Daremas breathing down their neck in 4th behind. Daremas was all over the mirrors of Lyons, eventually making a pass to secure third on the road. Hannam had a safe lead with Novichkov lapping fast in an impressive 2nd, and that was the finishing order at the chequered flag.

Daremas also topped the National class, with Khazzoum in second and Feyzulin in third.

Main Podium - 1st Harry Hannam, 2nd Alex Novichkov & 3rd Peri Daremas

National Class - 1st Peri Daremas, 2nd Johnny Khazzoum & 3rd Amir Feyzulin

A month off now, before round 4 back at the Yas Marina Circuit on January 17th.

Round 2 - Race Report

Some of the world’s fastest Radical racers headed for the 5.3kms GP circuit at the Dubai Autodrome to do battle in the second round of the Gulf Radical Cup. The grid highlighted the diversity of talent racing in the UAE with drivers from Cyprus, Ukraine, Lebanon, the UK, the UAE, St Kitts&Nevis, Lithuania, Russia, France, India, and Kazakhstan. With both last year’s Champion Alim Geshev and Vice Champion Usmaan Mughal absent for this round, there would clearly be great opportunities for the 15 drivers who had signed on. Having said that, 2023/24 Champion Alex Bukhantsov, who will shortly be doing the forthcoming Asia Le Mans Series, was one of them.

An early morning qualifying session to determine grid positions for the first of two Sprint races saw local karting and Clio Cup Champion, 17-year-old Harry Hannam (GulfSport Racing), set the pace with a best lap of 2:01.928, which was 0.419 ahead of Alexandr Novichkov (Continental Racing), and 0.925 ahead of Alex Bukhantsov (Dream Racing), with Johnny Khazzoum (KAA Motorsport) in P4 with a 2:03.509.

Click to watch Sprint Race 1

Race 1 started with a bang as there was a coming together on Lap 1 at the fast Turn 4, causing a multi-lap Safety Car period while three National Class cars were recovered: Aleks Celiadin (GulfSport Racing), Jahid Karim (Dream Racing), and Alexander Chachava (Dream Racing). Peri Daremas (GulfSport Racing) was also involved but continued for a few laps before retiring the car. When the race resumed, it was the young Hannam who maintained his lead to take the chequered flag, followed by Novichkov and Bukhantsov. However, the Stewards made a post-race decision to disqualify Novichkov as he had missed the scrutineering session, promoting Johnny Khazzoum to third place overall.

Click to watch Sprint Race 2

Race 2 proved to be an epic battle with Hannam on pole with Novichkov on P2 for the second rolling start of the day. The field screamed away at 10,000 rpm as the red lights went out and 15 cars went hurtling down into Turn 1, a steep downhill 17-metre-wide right-hand bend similar to Paddock Hill Bend at Brands Hatch that requires commitment and accuracy to achieve the optimum line and speed. Hannam got the holeshot and the racing line but very quickly found Bukhantsov on his left as they entered Turn 1 side by side.

At the bottom, they went side by side at the high speed Turn 2, a left-hand high-speed kink like a mini ‘Eau Rouge’ and continued uphill through the right-handed T3 then plunged downhill to a sequence of corners not dissimilar to the Maggotts/Becketts complex at Silverstone. But as they entered the right-hander at the bottom of the hill, Turn 6, Hannam was on the inside and now rubbing paint with Bukhantsov. But it was the 23/24 Champion on the faster line who managed to control a big slide and take the lead into Turn 7 and pulled away to create a 1.8-second gap. Khazzoum and Daremas found themselves leading the battle for National Class honours, but it was not long before Daremas pushed past Khazzoum to take the lead. Positions changed rapidly as Shibin Yousef and Amir Feyzulin started to gang up on Khazzoum.

Hannam didn’t give up and slowly closed the gap every lap. He got right on the tail of Bukhantsov on lap 9. Of course, it’s one thing to catch, but it’s an entirely different matter to pass. Remarkably, as they flew down the fast back straight at 240kph towards Turn 10, Hannam moved right, then as Bukhantsov covered him, Hannam went left and dived up the inside in a very impressive display of control and speed from the 17-year-old to take the lead, which he held until the flag.

Early Sunday morning, the pack took to the circuit for a 15-minute qualifying session to set the grid for the 45-minute race that would take place later that day. With the cooler, denser morning air, engines were extra crisp, and new Hankook tyres got bedded in for a few laps before the drivers let rip in their lightweight, high-downforce 232bhp sports prototypes. Hannam showed intent, putting in the fastest lap at 2:01.827, a full half second quicker than Kazakhstan’s Vasily Vladykin (Continental Racing), with Peri Daremas (GulfSport Racing) showing his potential in P3. Bukhantsov had a surprisingly low-key session with P8, no doubt saving his tyres for the big race.

Click to watch the Enduro Race

The big race did not disappoint. GT racer Vasili Vladykin (Continental Racing), who qualified on P2, had to start from the pit lane after a problem restarting the engine. At the start, Hannam got away cleanly, but Daremas got tapped into a spin just after Turn 1. So it was Hannam, Shibin Yousaf (Dream Racing), and fast-starting Bukhantsov who led away from Novichkov (Continental Racing), Andy Lowe (GulfSport Racing), and side by side with Amir Feyzulin (Dream Racing). The racing was also intense behind them as Johnny Khazzoum (KAA Motorsport) was being tracked by newcomer Alain Alfonsi (GulfSport Racing), who was up to 7th from his P15 starting place. Daremas was also on a charge through the field, no doubt inspired by his spin on lap 1, which saw him in P9 after his great P3 qualifying result, but after a coming together with Khazzoum, Daremas was given a 10-second penalty. Notably, Vladykin was making great strides in working through the field from his pit lane start and was soon up to P7.

The pit window opened at 28 minutes into the race, and first in was Khazzoum to serve the standard 45-second mandatory stop. Bukhantsov came in last, knowing he had an additional 20 seconds as a result of winning at Round 1.

As the race continued, Hannam led by 15 seconds from Daremas and Feyzulin, Lowe and Yousef. But with a 10-second penalty, Daremas found himself only 5 seconds ahead of Feyzulin, which meant he would be demoted to P3 if the race finished like that. So he was directed by his driver coach, ex-British Radical Champion Ross Kaiser, to up his pace to ensure that he was at least 10 seconds ahead of Feyzulin at the finish.

But it was a sensational performance from the young gun Hannam, who took his third win this weekend. Daremas successfully found the pace to increase the gap to 11 seconds to take P2, and Feyzulin finished 3rd overall.

Next round (Round 3) is only ten days away and will be the debut of the SuperPrix format as a championship points-scoring round of the GRC.

Round 1 - Race Report

As the nights draw in and the weather turns cold in the northern hemisphere, Radical racers from far and wide headed for sunshine in the United Arab Emirates for Round 1 of the 2025-26 Gulf Radical Cup. With 400 minutes of track time available on one of the world’s most iconic Formula 1 race circuits the Gulf Radical Cup has become the go-to winter series for enthusiast drivers.

Radical’s popular ‘Race the World’ initiative was highlighted by a number of visiting drivers and teams who compete in other Radical series in Europe, USA and Asia. The event also attracted some interesting newcomers to the series, including UAE karting champion Harry Hannam, Austrian Jorden Dolischka and Hungarian Lena Galyo from the Racing Women initiative, Historic Grand Prix racer Stephen Shanly and Alain Alfonsi. Was there anyone here able to give the local champions a run for their money? After official testing on the Friday, it was clear this was indeed the case as both Hannam and Dolischka were able to run with the best of them.

Saturday morning qualifying put Bukhantsov and Hannam on the front row of the grid for the start of the first Sprint Race. Dolischka, who qualified 5th, had trouble restarting her car for the green flag sighting lap, relegating her to the back of a 17-car grid.

The live-stream cameras rightly focused on the battle at the front, where Hannam remained on the tail of Bukhantsov. They would finish 1-2, with Novichkov and Mughal scrapping for third place on the podium. As Novichkov claimed P3, spectators were amazed to see Racing Women star driver Dolischka make her way past 11 drivers to finish in P6. On the National Podium Amir Feyzulin took a well deserved victory.

The second Sprint Race was a nail-biter, with Hannam now even more determined that he could beat former GRC Champion Bukhantsov, and Dolischka determined to make the best of her second row start next to Mughal. Sure enough, it all kicked off as drivers were now much better acquainted with the circuit, their tyres and cars on this challenging 5,281-metre-high speed circuit.

At the rolling start, Bukhantsov and Hannam went through turn 1 side by side with Dolischka in P3.  Bukhantsov managed to hold the line down to turn 5, and Mughal managed to slide down the inside at turn 6 to regain his P3 starting spot. Novichkov settled into P5, closely followed by Lowe, Feyzulin, and Chachava.

Bukhantsov appeared comfortable with Hannam remaining less than a second behind, but on lap 7, as they came to the last corner, Hannam made his move, braking late and sending it down the inside to grab the lead - and Bukhantsov spun, coming to a rest in the middle of the circuit. He rejoined, but halfway down the pack, only to retire the following lap, leaving Hannam an easy ride to take the chequered flag. This gave Mughal P2 and Jordan Dolischka P3. Andy Lowe can out on top in the National Class to take a victory ahead of Feyzulin and Chachava.

Sunday morning quali saw Hannam getting the better of Bukhantsov to take pole position for the upcoming 45-minute enduro race with Mughal on P3 next to Dolischka again on the second row.

As the red lights went out, it was Bukhantsov, so he got into an early lead, with Hannam and Mughal nose to tail behind. But further down the field, Alfonsi was making a move into turn 6, but misjudged his braking and connected with the rear of Chachava, taking them both out of the race, but also forcing out the safety car.

After a quick clear-up, racing was back on and it was close at the front. Both Bukhantsov and Hannam were able to open a small gap ahead of Mughal in third, while there was a small gap behind Mughal to the battle for 4th between Novichkov and Dolishka. Before you knew it, 19 minutes of racing have gone and the pitstop window opened. Mughal was the first of the leaders to pit, making a perfect 45-second stop. Next lap, Hannam and Bukhantsov pitted together.

As they ran nose to tail along the pit lane, it was Hannam’s pit box that came up first, only 40 metres behind that of Bukhantsov. Both made a great getaway, with Bukhantsov just keeping his lead.

However, two laps later, a message from Race Control - “10 Second Penalty for Speeding in the pit lane Number 63”. In the hurry to get out ahead of Hannam, Bukhantsov misjudged this speed and just exceeded the 60KPH limit. This meant that for the rest of the race, all Hannam had to do was sit behind and take the advantage at the end, and that’s exactly what he did. Mughal was in third, but was not able to keep his gap to the leader under 10 seconds to also jump ahead, but settled for a well-raced 3rd place. In the National class it was a race long battle between Shanly, Lowe and Feyzulin. In the end it was Feyzulin across the line first, but after series of track limit penalties it placed the victory in the hands of Shanly, followed by Lowe and Feyzulin in third.

However further drama was left to unfold. In a cruel turn, and after the podium presentation was complete, Hannam’s car failed the ride height check on a small part of the front diffuser, but this meant instant disqualification. Promoting Bukhantsov back to the win, Mughal up to second, and Novichkov to third.

This season sees one of the most competitive so far, with the first 12 drivers being covered by only 1 second in qualifying on the long Yas GP circuit, showing how good the pace will be this year.

All eyes on Round 1 - Yas Marina Circuit

Just a few days away from the start of Round 1 of the 2025/26 Gulf Radical Cup, and the entry list is taking shape. With 18 cars expected on the grid in their Radical SR3 1500s coming from 11 different countries.

This strong grid of drivers from across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia will launch into the opening round of the region’s most competitive national race series. With a mix of returning race winners, international debutants in their new-generation XXR cars!

Eighteen cars are entered for the season opener, fielded by top teams including GulfSport Racing, Dream Racing, Continental Racing, Valour Racing, and KAA Motorsport — each boasting proven Radical contenders and ambitious newcomers.

Dream Racing exploded back into life last season and is looking to secure its place at the top of the tables this year. Notably with Alex Bukhantsov (two-time GRC Champion). Teammate Amir Feyzulin, a front-runner in 2024/25 and a podium regular, is another to watch. German driver Marcel Kopp makes his return to the Gulf Radical Cup after test and race outings earlier this year in an LMP3, while Russian driver Alexander Chachava returns in his Dream Racing SR3 XXR.

GulfSport Racing’s (Radical UAE) lineup, spearheaded by Usmaan Mughal, who is the 2024/25 Gulf Radical Cup Vice Champion. But challenged this year by newcomer, but rapid Harry Hannam, one of the youngest but most composed drivers in the field, already a proven local multiple Kart racing champion and last seasons Clio Cup Middle East Champion.

Returning to racing after a 30-year gap is Alain Alfonsi in the red and white GSR XXR, with Stephen Shanly also adding experience to the team. Aleks Celiandin making his Gulf Radical Cup debut and Peri Daremas looking for another podium at Yas Marina Circuit complete the team’s impressive line-up, all looking to build on testing pace at Yas in previous weeks.

The Continental Racing duo of Alexandr Novichkov and Vasily Vladykin bring experience and speed to the Continental racing line-up. Novichkov, who claimed the GRC National Champion title last year, joins Vladykin — a seasoned GT racer. The final driver for Continental is yet to be announced.

Austrian Jorden Dolischka and Hungarian Lena Galyo make up Valour Racing’s youthful and ambitious entry. Dolischka, who won the Racing Women shoot-out at Donnington Park last month, with this fully paid prize drive from sports.com races alongside Galyo. Galyo was very rapid at Donnington also, and brings a high level of karting experience, and is the youngest driver on the grid.

Lebanese racer Johnny Khazzoum joins the newly formed KAA Motorsport for 2025/26 this season. Khazzoum is one of the most experienced drivers out there, and with his commitment to the full season this year, the pressure is on to see those podiums roll in.

Lastly, Andy Lowe, who has spent the summer campaigning in the UK Radical Cup and North America Radical Cup, will be flying in for Round 1, before getting back on a plane to compete at the 2025 Radical World Finals at Virginia International Raceway in the USA.

Testing starts on Thursday night with a 3-hour open pitlane, before another 3-hour session Friday morning. Followed by a 60-minute and 30-minute Gulf Radical Cup practice session that afternoon. Saturday sees qualifying and two x 25-minute Sprint races, with another qualifying on Sunday morning before the 45-minute Enduro Race.

Catch all the action from Yas Marina Circuit live this Saturday on the official Radical Motorsport YouTube page.

Accomplished Talent Harry Hannam Joins GulfSport Racing for 2025/26 Gulf Radical Cup

Dubai, UAE – GulfSport Racing is excited to announce that promising British driver Harry Hannam will join the team for the upcoming 2025/26 Gulf Radical Cup, marking an exciting next step in his motorsport career.

Hannam’s racing journey began at an early age in the UAE, cutting his teeth in the local karting scene where he honed his racecraft on his way to collecting 4 national karting Championships and successful appearances in multiple karting world finals.

In 2024, Hannam made the step up to cars by dominating the 2024/25 Renault Clio Cup Middle East. At the end of that season, he made a wild card entry into the Gulf Radical Cup SuperPrix, where he delivered an impressive debut performance. Despite facing a grid packed with experienced drivers, Hannam showcased both pace and maturity, gaining the attention of Gulf Radical Cup teams and drivers alike.

Now, the 2025/26 Gulf Radical Cup presents Hannam with the opportunity to take his career to the next level. Racing in a GulfSport Racing prepared Radical SR3 XXR, he will compete on two of the regions top tracks, Yas Marina Circuit and Dubai Autodrome. With vital support from H&R (by MSW - Exclusive regional distributor) and GulfSport Racing, Hannam is going for the top spot this season. 

“I’ve been passionate about motorsport from the very beginning,” Hannam commented. “Karting gave me the skills and mindset to compete, and last season’s SuperPrix was a great taste of driving the Radical SR3. It’s for sure the right step in my campaign to compete at the highest level of GT and Sportscar racing. Joining GulfSport Racing for a full Gulf Radical Cup is a great opportunity. I’m ready to learn, progress, and push for a top spot this season.” 

GulfSport Racing is equally excited about welcoming Hannam. “Harry has shown great commitment and potential in his racing so far,” said a GulfSport Racing’s Martin Hope. “We’re looking forward to supporting his development and helping him achieve strong results in what will be a very competitive season.”

Hannam will be in his SR3 XXR next week at the first Pre Season test on Yas Marina Circuit.

The Gulf Radical Cup is one of the region’s leading one-make championships, attracting a mix of drivers from the UAE and further afield. The 2025/26 season begins this October and promises another year of close and competitive racing.